Eric’s War
By Turlough
- 823 reads
Eric’s War
Eric was a bus conductor and Eric was a soldier
Eric was shot whilst having a ciggy in Iceland in 1940
Iceland the country, not the shop
Iceland declared neutrality during the Second World War
Britain invaded Iceland so that Germany couldn’t
Britain sent Eric to Iceland to scare away Germany
Eric didn’t like Iceland, it was dark and cold
Eric didn’t like Iceland because Iceland shot him
Iceland didn’t like Eric because Eric was British
Iceland didn’t like Britain, they’d brought them the war
Britain didn’t like Iceland because Iceland shot Eric
Britain left Iceland because they were busy elsewhere
America went to Iceland to scare away Germany
America didn’t like Iceland because of dried fish and crispbread
Germany didn’t invade Iceland, it was dark and cold
Germany didn’t invade Iceland because of dried fish and America
Eric worked the rest of his life on a Bath Corporation bus
Eric never rang the bell to stop the bus outside Iceland
Iceland the shop, not the country
Iceland the shop didn’t sell dried fish or crispbread
Peggy always bought fish fingers for Eric’s tea on Thursdays
Peggy never told Eric they were from Iceland, the shop and the country
Image:
I haven’t got a single photograph of Iceland (neither the country nor the shop) or of Eric but I do have a selection of photographs of volcanoes which I could pretend were Icelandic. This is one I took from Stromboli’s crater rim late one evening whilst on a walking holiday in the Aeolian Islands near Sicily.
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Comments
Incidentally imparting
Incidentally imparting information about Iceland during WW2! Presumably Eric wasn't badly hurt?
How lovely to have been able to stroll around a crater in the Aeolian islands. Rhiannon
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Poor Eric. You can't even
Poor Eric. You can't even trust the fish fingers.
Artfully blended history and personal story. Very enjoyable!
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Congratulations for this
Congratulations for this brilliantly deadpan very black and white explanation of Eric's War (and Iceland - both kinds!) very well deserved cherries - you absolutely must read this for us
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You're the first person to
You're the first person to mention it Turlough!
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Ah, Eric the war veteran,
Ah, Eric the war veteran, not Eric the Icelander. I guess if you've got ice in your title your not very nice, but what do I know? I'm sure he did his bit on the buses.
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Very original Terry, but then
Very original Terry, but then nobody writes like you. Loved it,
Xx
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I always though mum went to
I always thought mum went to Iceland. Hmmm....maybe that was an ad...
That's a very creative poem about Eric/Iceland. It's actually very clever the way you have interwoven the theme of country and store, blending humour with dry observation. Yes, I enjoyed reading that several times.
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Hi Turlough,
Hi Turlough,
you have a sharp eye for threading words together to crate an impressive memoir of Eric's experience with Iceland.
I wonder if Eric would have eaten those fish fingers if he'd known where his wife got them from!
You were so lucky to have been up on the volcano, it must have been such an exhilarating adventure. I've only ridden up one on a camel in Lanzarote, that was fun, but so many people have done the journey, that it's not much to write home about anymore, sadly.
A great tribute to Eric and his wife.
Jenny.
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Loved this. Eric's PTSD, how
Loved this. Eric's PTSD, how he "never rang the bell to stop the bus outside Iceland". Your poem, how the theme interweaves past and present, country and shop, then comes together at the end with fishfingers coming from both kinds of Iceland, like a double whammy, the certainty of Eric and the gentle subterfuge of his wife. Warmth of present family life and cold and dark of war. It's so CLEVER!!! while also being fun :0)
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